It's a Date
by taylorcatherine
Summary: Who knew a laundromat could bring two totally different people together? Katara certainly didn't. And she certainly didn't expect to start a friendship with ZUKO. Or was it something more than that? She didn't know. Katara's POV:rated T for now  R&R! :
1. Chapter 1: The Laundromat

Saturday morning and my alarm clock was going off at 8:00 AM. I sat up in my bed and stretched my arms over my head and yawned. _I thought the point of a weekend was to be able to sleep in?_ I thought to myself. I climbed out of my bed and made my way downstairs to the kitchen._ Hmm…eggs…cereal…pancakes?_ I decided on the eggs and got out the things I would need to make an omelet. And as soon as the aroma of the spices started to fill the air, sure enough Sokka was walking down the stairs.

"Morning Katara." Sokka said to me as he sat at the bar in the kitchen.

"Morning. Hungry?" I looked at him with a sarcastic look on my face. He just smiled and got some milk out of the fridge. I finally had breakfast on the table for Sokka, me, and Dad. Dad was down in a few minutes after breakfast was ready.

"Morning, sweetie." Dad said as he kissed my forehead and walked over to Sokka and patted his head.

"Morning Dad!" Sokka and I said in unison. He sat down at the table and started eating. About twenty minutes passed, and everybody had finished eating.

"Sokka can you wash the dishes for me? I have a lot of errands to do today." I asked him.

"Yeah sure. Where you going?" He asked looking at me with a puzzled look.

"To the Laundromat. The washer is broken, and the laundry is starting to pile up!" I told him. With that my Dad threw me the car keys and helped me load three baskets into the back seat, filled with dirty laundry.

While I was driving to the Laundromat, a song came on the radio that I couldn't dare listen to-it was the one they played at my Mother's funeral. I couldn't bear to listen to it. I quickly turned off the radio and drove in silence the rest of the way.

I finally reached the Laundromat, and started to carry the baskets inside. There was a boy that looked about my age standing at a counter reading a magazine.

"Hello." I said with a smile.

"Hi there. Need any help with those?" He seemed fairly kind.

"Yeah sure!" I replied. The boy walked over and grabbed two of the baskets and carried them to some washers for me.

"Thanks!" I said with a grateful look.

"No problem. I'm Jet, by the way." He held his hand out for me to shake.

"Oh, I'm Katara. Nice to meet you!" I shook his hand and grinned. He smiled back and walked back over to the counter and continued to flip through the magazine. I quickly started to sort out the laundry and throw it into three separate washers. I added detergent and four quarters in each and started them up. With them started, I sat down and opened up a book I'd just started a week ago. I was really zoned into the book, until I heard some bells jingle which meant more people coming in to do laundry. I glanced up and looked back down, only to do a double-take at who had just walked in. _Azula and Zuko? Why are they here? They have plenty of money to have somebody else do their laundry for them!_ My mind was racing through reasons as to why they were here. I just decided to ignore them until I heard Azula talking to Jet.

"Hello, Jet." She said with her evil-sounding voice.

"Hey Azula." He replied with a smirk. She walked up to him and they pressed their lips together. Zuko gagged and turned towards me. I blushed and looked away. Then I heard the washers beep. I quickly stood up and walked over to them and started unloading them one by one.

I was just about to unload the third one when the clothes in my hands fell all over the floor. _Okay, I'm officially embarrassed. _I tried to pick the clothes up quick and then I noticed two pale hands helping me pick them up. I looked up and saw Zuko. He just looked down and continued helping me.

"Oh! Umm…thanks Zuko." I said, hesitating. My face was scarlet. I tried to make my hair fall over my face.

"No problem." That was all he said before walking away._ Ugh! What is his problem?_ I turned my head and made a face. Quickly as I could, I got my clothes in the dryers and waited for them to be finished. While waiting, I got my book back out and started reading where I left off.

It wasn't too long after I had started that I felt a presence staring at me.

"Can I help you?" I said in a kind of pissy tone.

"Umm…can I sit here?" Zuko.

"Oh! Uh, yeah sure?" My cheeks were getting hot and I could feel it. _Why is he talking to me? Last I checked we hated each other._ I was curious as to why he was talking to me, but at the same time I could've cared less.

"So, uh…you're Sokka's sister?" he was trying to make conversation.

"Yeah." I tried not to look at his face and keep my fair covering mine.

"Cool. You're a junior right?" I could feel him looking at me.

"Umm yeah. We have Physics together." I started to look at him.

"Yeah, we do. How exactly do you pass that class?" He looked at me with curiousity in his eyes.

"I just pay attention and do the homework." I chuckled.

"So, uh, are you free later?" _Was he asking me out? No way…he couldn't be. Isn't he dating that gothic girl Mai?_ I couldn't believe it.

"I'm free after all of this laundry gets done." I answered.

"Cool. Do you wanna go see a movie or something?" Now it was his turn to blush.

"Excuse me?" I was shocked.

"Do. You. Want. To. Go. See. A. Movie?" now he was being a smartass.

"Definately not." I said flatly.

"What?" he sounded very shocked, oddly enough.

"N. O. No." now I was getting irritated.

"Why not?" I could tell he was angry. But I didn't care, not one bit.

"Because. I never liked you, and I doubt I ever will." I said matter of factly.

"But you don't even know me!" He replied a little loud.

"Why would I want to know you! You've only been trouble in school and to my friends!" Now I was getting loud.

"Okay okay. Calm down." He said softly.

"Don't you tell me to calm down!" I was fuming at him. I was really confused, and he wasn't helping me understand.

"Okay I'm sorry! Just please, relax?" His tone was very calm, almost gentle.

"I'm sorry. It's just you've always been such a hot-temperd guy." I told him.

"Yeah...sorry about that." He looked away and rubbed the back of his neck.

"So will you please just go see a movie with me?" The way he said it made him seem like a begger.

"Fine. But no funny business!" I replied-somewhat hesitant.

"Cool. I'll pick you up at your house about 5-ish, okay?" He started to get up.

"Okay...I'll see you then I guess." I started to blush.

"Okay. Bye Katara!" He smiled and waved goodbye.

"Bye?" I waved back with a small grin on my face. _Whoa, what just happened there?_


	2. Chapter 2: The Date

By the time I had gotten home, I had butterflies in my stomach. _I'm going on a date…with Zuko? How did I get myself into this!_ I honestly thought I was going to rip my hair out and scream. When I walked in the door, I threw my Dad the car keys and started carrying the baskets to our rooms.

"Dad?" I had to tell him.

"Yes?" He replied with a curious tone.

"I-I'm going on a date tonight with a friend from school, okay?" I said quickly.

"Alrighty, just be good." He smiled and went back to reading the paper. I just stood there with my jaw hanging. Then I noticed something._ Where is Sokka?_

"Dad, where's Sokka?" I looked at him with a questioning look.

"Went over to Suki's house. Won't be back till late." He answered while reading his newspaper.

"Oh okay. I'm going to go get a shower and get ready." I darted up the stairs and ran into the bathroom and started the water. I climbed into the shower and let the warmth wrap around me. Oh-did I mention I'm a water bender? There aren't as many benders as there used to be, but they were still somewhat common. I finished my shower and threw on my blue bath robe. I walked into my room and over to the closet. _How about a dress? Nah…too dressy. Besides it's autumn and cold! Hmm…_ I finally decided on a gray V-neck sweater and light blue jeans.

I looked in the mirror and decided the outfit would do. So I walked over to my vanity and sat down and picked up my brush. I pulled my hair back in a loose braid. Seeing as to how I don't normally wear makeup, I didn't do anything special.

When I finally finished, I looked at my phone to check the time. I had finished just in time because I heard a knock on the door and my Dad yelled for me to come answer it.

"Coming!" I yelled and grabbed my wallet and coat. I speed-walked to the door and took a deep breath before opening it.

"Hey." I said as I saw Zuko standing there.

"Hey. Ready to go?" He helped me get my coat on.

"I guess so. Bye Dad! I'll see you later!" I yelled running out the door. We walked over to Zuko's car, which I have to admit was a really nice car. He owned a 2010 Ford Mustang.

"Wow, nice car!" I exclaimed.

"Heh thanks. My Uncle got it for me." He said.

"So what movie are we going to see?" I asked as he started the engine and backed out of the drive way.

"You'll see. It's a surprise." He smiled at me. My heart stopped. _Oh God, he better not try anything or I'll kill him!_

The whole ride to the movies I kept trying to get Zuko to tell me what we were going to see, but he wouldn't budge. When we finally got to the movie theatre at the edge of town, we climbed out of the car and I started walking towards the ticket counter, only to be grabbed by my waist and turned around.

"What are you doing?" I asked him with an extremely confused look on my face.

"Put this over your eyes." He instructed me as he held up a bandanna. I glared at him with a look that said "Why would I do that?"

"Just trust me Katara!" The look in his eyes told me that he could be trusted, so I did what he said and covered my eyes with a bandanna.

"Zuko, NOW where are we going?" I complained.

"Katara, the whole point of this is to be a surprise. So if I told you, it wouldn't be much of a surprise now would it?" He said in a smart tone. I could tell he had a smirk on his face, even if I couldn't see him.

"Zuko, I swear if this is some kind of joke-" He cut me off.

"Katara! Chill out. This is not 'some kind of joke' okay? You seriously need to relax for once." I was about to protest, but I gave up. We walked in silence with his hand leading me where to go.

Five minutes passed but it seemed like hours. I was guessing we had arrived at our destination seeing how we had come to a hault.

"Okay. You ready to be stunned?" He sounded so sure of himself.

"Just get this thing off of my face!" I said. He sighed and stood behind me, untying the bandanna.

"Okay, 1…2…3!" And the bandanna was removed from my eyes. And when my eyes finally adjusted, I gasped. We had walked outside of town and to a forest. It doesn't sound amazing, I know. But if you looked down the hill you could see a clearing with this large pond and medium-sized waterfall. When the water from the fall collided with the water in the pond, it glistened and shimmered. How it did, I haven't a clue. Just looking at it was breath-taking. While I was standing there, awestruck, a thought popped into my head.

"Zuko why did you bring me here?" I asked him.

"I used to come here with my Mom when I was younger. I figured it was time for a visit." He had a sad smile on his face.

"Oh…" I started to feel sad, then something else crossed my mind. "Zuko if this is some way to get me to feel bad for you or something it's not going to work!" I crossed my arms and turned away from him.

"Katara I just wanted to show this…I thought you'd like it because of your bending." Okay, now he sounded hurt. I turned towards him and he was sitting on the ground looking down. My face softened and I sat down next to him.

"Zuko, I'm sorry. It's just you've always hated everybody for no reason." I looked him in the eyes.

"I know. And I'm the one who should be sorry. I deserved it. Katara I know you can't forgive me right away, but I hope in time you can." He put a small smile on his face. I smiled back.

"So what made you switch sides? You know, from bad to good." I asked him. He smirked at me.

"Well I've never really been BAD, just misunderstood I guess. I don't like being the center of attention so I just ignore most people, especially my sister and her boyfriend Jet." He gagged at the thought of them, and I started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" He snapped.

"Haha I'm sorry! Your face was hysterical!" I continued to laugh. He started to blush. I finally calmed myself down.

"So, uhh…now what?" I asked to quit the awkward silence.

"Now we go down to the water and you show me some bending moves!" He stood up and was pulling on my arm to make me get up. I couldn't move though, my jaw was dropped.

"How did you know?" I said in one breath.

"Because I know a bender when I see one." In mid-sentence he made a flame in his hand, and with that I stood up and we started down the hill towards the pond. When we reached the pond Zuko asked me the most random question ever.

"So do you want to spar?" My jaw dropped and I began to protest, but he stopped me in the middle and said it was "just for fun."

"Fine, but I'm not going to show any mercy." I smirked and got into a fighting stance, and he did the same.

"On the count of three." He said.

"One…" I began.

"Two…" Here we go.

"Three!" We shouted at the same time, and he lunged himself towards me and I quickly made a water whip and hit him in the leg with it, making him stumble. I took advantage of the moment and tackled him to the ground. Then I stood up, and got my water ready again, and he started shooting flames at me. I dodged them all, and then threw a large ball of water at him causing him to get drenched. He quickly dried himself off with his fire bending, and instead of lunging at me, he made a HUGE flame and threw it at me, I did a flip over to the side. I was surprised though because I didn't feel my feet touch the ground, instead I felt a pair of strong arms grab me in mid-air and pull me down to the ground.

"Oof!" I said as I landed on top of Zuko.

"Sorry…" I mumbled, my face turning a deep scarlet.

"No need to be, it was pretty much my intention." I gave him a friendly punch in the chest and climbed off of him and sat down beside him. He propped himself up on his arms.

"You're not bad for a fire bender." I was being sarcastic.

"You're pretty good yourself, for a little water bender." _Was he being smug?_

"Little?" It was my turn to be smug.

"What?" He looked at me pretending he was innocent.

"Well at least I'm not afraid to fight." I glanced away and made it look like I didn't say anything; I could feel his eyes glaring at me. Before I knew it, I was tackled with him hold me down. I tried to bend some water at him, and I got half of him wet. He climbed off of me and I made huge wave and smashed him with it.

"Okay you win!" He was laughing.

"Good." I smirked.

"Well we should probably get going." I said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Yeah we should." He stated.

"So what do you wanna do now?" I asked him as we walked up the hill.

"I'm not sure, do you want to grab a bite to eat?" He proposed.

"Sure, I'm getting pretty hungry anyways." I grabbed my stomach to look like I was starving, and he chuckled.

We walked in silence up the hill. When we got to the edge of town, Zuko stopped dead in his tracks with a face that said "oh shit."

"Zuko? What's wrong?" I tugged on his black and red sweatshirt. He grabbed me and turned my head, and then my eyes widened.

"Oh no…" I mumbled.


	3. DISCLAIMER sorry!

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender – or any of the episodes, characters and what-not. Because if I did, it would have totally ended with an amazing ZUTARA KISS!3 Bahahah :D**

**I should have the REAL chapter three out tomorrow night…hopefully you guys will love it! :P Well I do believe this is all I have to say. So Keep reading and reviewing and that stuff! Bye bye loves!**

**-Taylor**

**P.S.- Sorry if any of you thought this was the actual third chapter! I'll have it up by tomorrow, promise. :]**


	4. Chapter 3: Mai

"ZUKO! What the hell are you doing!" Of all the people for us to run into, it had to be Mai.

"Oh God…Hi Mai." He mumbled.

"What are you doing with that freak?" She pointed at me with a throwing dart and got in Zuko's face. I froze, and Zuko pushed me behind him.

"Mai calm down. We're just friends." He replied to her calmly.

"Friends? Zuko that is the WORST excuse I've ever heard! How can you be 'just friends' when you're standing there protecting her!" Her hands were in fists by her sides, the dart held tightly in her left hand.

"Mai what are you even doing here? How did you find us?" He asked.

"Did you forget? I'm your sister's BEST FRIEND you idiot!" She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes.

"Don't call me an idiot." He told her.

"I'll call you whatever the hell I want to! You're my boyfriend! I shouldn't be treated this way!" She yelled at him, even though their faces were barely two inches apart.

"I'm not doing anything! You're the one who is doing all the shouting!" His voice was starting to rise. I was wondering if it would ever end.

"Uh-huh, whatever you say Zuko!" She spat his name out like it was a cuss word. I swear the tension between those two could be cut with a knife.

"You're overreacting. Katara and I are just friends, nothing more." He put his hand on her shoulder, and she smacked it away. Then she turned towards me.

"You! You're that freak Sokka's sister. I can see it runs in the family." She looked at me with this evil glare, still holding the throwing dart. I wasn't going to stand for this, whether or not if she had a weapon.

"Excuse me? Wanna repeat that?" I asked her, my hands in fists. I began looking for a water source, then I spotted a fountain nearby. _Bingo! _I found a source.

"Sure. You're that FREAK Sokka's sister. It OBVIOUSLY runs in the family." And with that last word, I'd had enough. I straightened my back, took one step forward and smacked her across the face. She had this shocked look on her face. She threw about four darts at me, and I drew water from the fountain and made an ice wall in front of me, blocking the dart. I quickly melted the water and wrapped a strip of water around her leg, and froze it so she couldn't move her leg.

"Don't you EVER talk about my brother that way! You can call me whatever you want, but if you bring my family into this, then it's personal. You better think twice before you speak wrongly about my family again, because next time I won't show mercy. Oh and one other thing, take some serious anger management classes!" By the time I had finished yelling at her, a red mark in the shape of a hand started to appear on her left cheek. She turned to Zuko.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Are you just going to let her do that to me!" She glared at him with her cold, gray eyes.

"Yes, I am. You deserved it." He stated, his voice much more calm than before. Her jaw dropped and Zuko took my hand.

"Come on Katara, we're leaving." And we walked right past her, heading towards his car.

'You'll regret ever leaving me for that slut!" I heard her yell. I looked up at Zuko with worry in my eyes.

"Don't worry, nothing is going to happen. I promise." He smiled, and I gave him a weak smile.

We climbed into Zuko's car, and he started the engine. We sat in silence for a few minutes, until he broke the silence.

"Katara?" He said.

"Hmm?" I replied while looking out the window at the night sky.

"I'm sorry about what happened back there with Mai. I swear when I get home I'm going to kill Azula." I looked at his hands on the wheel, his grip tightening when he said his sister's name.

"Zuko, it's alright. You didn't know this would happen. Besides, it felt good to slap her across the face!" I smiled at him, and he let out a chuckle. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. 8:37 PM.

"Oh crap!" I said.

"What's wrong?" Zuko asked, glancing over at me and then back to the road.

"I have to get home. I'm sorry!" I gave him a look full of sorrow. Then an idea popped into my head.

"Zuko are you busy tomorrow?" I asked him.

"Nope, why do you ask?" He kept his gaze focused on the road.

"You'll see." I smirked and opened up my phone and texted Sokka.

**Hey Sokka. How much do you love me? :]** I waited for his reply, hoping it would be quick. Sure enough, my phone vibrated and it was a text from Sokka.

_What do u want?_ He knows me well enough to know when I want something.

**I need you to convince Dad into letting Zuko stay overnite. Plzzzz :] If you do, I'll invite Suki over and I'll cook your favorite dinner for you.** This wouldn't be too hard, my brother is easy to bargain with.

_Katara idk. I thought u hated Zuko and now u want him to stay the nite? :/_ It might be a little more difficult considering this is ZUKO we're talking about.

**Well it's hard to explain. I ran into him the Laundromat and he asked me out. I said no at first, but then gave in. And I feel kinda bad that he has to go home to his sis 2nite and I wanna help him. Cmon Sokka! :[** My thumbs were tired of typing.

_Fine. But u owe me BIG time!_ A large smile spread across my face.

**Thanks so much Sokka! :D**

"Zuko, you're gonna need your toothbrush." I looked at him with a smile. He looked at me like I was crazy, and I just laughed. Zuko started to laugh with me, and for the first time I saw real joy in his eyes.


	5. Chapter 4: Pull over

I rolled down the window in Zuko's car, and let the cool air blow in. We were parked outside of his house (which was HUGE), and he had the heat too high. I had no clue how to turn it down though, so I just opened the window. Zuko was inside of his house gathering his things for the night. I'd asked my brother to talk my Dad into letting Zuko stay the night as Sokka's "friend." And to make sure Sokka would do it, I called Suki and asked her to sleep over (and of course she agreed).

"You ready to go?" I jumped and then turned and smacked Zuko in the arm.

"What was that for?" He asked.

"You scared me! And you take a really long time to get everything." I said, and he chuckled which made me smile.

"Put that window up its freezing!" Zuko told me.

"Well you're the one who turned the heat up way too high in here and I couldn't figure out how to turn it down!" I replied, giving him a pretend attitude. He just smirked. I rolled my window up and we pulled out of his driveway.

The drive from Zuko's house to my house was about ten minutes long, so we talked and listened to music. We were in the middle of talking about his sister and her boyfriend, when a song came on. Not just any song, the song they played at my Mother's funeral.

"Turn the radio off." I said bluntly.

"What?" Zuko asked.

"Turn the radio off!" I started shouting.

"Why? This is a good song." I could tell he wasn't going to turn it off.

"Pull over. I think I'm gonna be sick." I lied.

"Oh okay hold on." He told me, we were on a back road in the woods. He pulled over and I climbed out of the car and started running through the woods.

"Katara?" Zuko yelled from his car. But I didn't answer, I just kept running.

"Katara! Where the hell are you going?" He shouted. I stopped for a minute to look back. He was getting out of his car and locking it, running after me. I didn't want to be followed though, so I started running again. It wasn't long after I started running again that tears were streaming down my face. I turned my head and saw Zuko catching up to me, so I started weaving myself through some bushes.

"KATARA!" I heard Zuko shouting. I knew by how far away he sounded that I'd lost him for a moment. I found a large tree and sat down under it, crying. And wouldn't you know it? It started raining. Luckily, there were a lot of branches above me blocking out most of the drops. I put my knees up to my chest and rested my head on them, trying to relax. Actually, I became so relaxed that I didn't notice somebody approaching me until I felt something grab my shoulder. My eyes opened and I jumped.

"Katara? What's going on? Why did you run away?" It was Zuko. And completely out of my intentions, I threw myself on him, sobbing. I could tell he wasn't expecting it, but instead of him pushing me away; he wrapped his arms around my back and let me cry.

"Katara it's okay. Shh…just breathe. I'm here now, everything is okay." I tried to calm down but I was gasping and coughing from all the cries.

"N-no it's n-not!" I choked. "Everything is not okay! I-I want m-my Mom back!" I continued to sob.

"Katara what happened back there in the car?" Zuko asked me, with a generally concerned look on his face.

"You wouldn't t-turn off the radio…" I began, "T-that s-song was played at m-my Mother's funeral." I looked at him with tears streaming down my face, he took his left hand from my back and wiped away the tears.

"I'm so sorry Katara, I had no clue that song made you so upset. I'm so, so sorry…I hope you can forgive me." You could tell by looking at his face that he was more than sincere. I couldn't be mad at him, he didn't know. I just dug my face into the warmth of his chest and shivered from the cold rain.

"You're cold. Come on, let's get back to the car." He started standing, but I quickly pulled him back down and rested my head on his chest. Oddly, I felt extremely safe in his arms. I felt happy, almost like I belonged there. I just closed my eyes and began to relax again.

When I opened my eyes again I was back in Zuko's car, and we were on the way to my house again.

"Oh good, you're awake." He glanced over at me and smiled.

"I fell asleep?" I stretched my arms and yawned.

"Yeah, you fell asleep back in the woods. I carried you back to the car." He answered.

"I'm really sorry about that Zuko. I overreacted." I put my elbows on my knees and held my head. Zuko moved his arm over and started to rub my back.

"Nah it's okay, I should've just listened when you said to turn it off. Let's just forget about it okay?" I lifted my head slightly and turned my head and looked at him, he smiled at me.

"Thanks Zuko." I smiled at him.

"Hey we're here!" Zuko sounded very excited for some reason, but I couldn't blame him. I believe this sleep over is going to be very, very fun.

**Sorry if this chapter seems short. I've had a busy weekend and haven't had much time to cram in everything. So the sleepover will be the next chapter (chapter 5)…and possibly chapter 6. We'll just have to see what happens. :]**

**2 weeks and 4 days till Christmas Eve…2 weeks and 5 days till Christmas Day! :] (I already have my tree up at my Dad's)**

**Thanks for reading loves!**

**-Taylor Catherine**


	6. Chapter 5: Hospital trip

I opened up the front door of my house and walked in.

"I'm home!" I yelled to announce our arrival.

"Katara!" Suki yelled running and giving me a hug.

"Hey Suki! I've missed you!" I laughed while hugging her back.

"Suki, this is Zuko. Zuko, this is Suki." I gestured towards them and they shook hands.

"Hi there!" Suki said with a large smile on her face.

"Hi. Where is Sokka?" Zuko asked, looking around.

"Oh he's upstairs in his bedroom, should be down in a few minutes." Suki rolled her eyes. And then we heard a loud thump coming from upstairs.

"Sokka? You okay?" I yelled upstairs.

"OW!" Was all we heard. We ran upstairs and knocked on his door.

"Sokka? Can we come in?" I said with my mouth up against the door.

"Katara I think we should just go in." Suki said. I gave her a questioning look.

"Yeah, I think so too." Zuko agreed. I nodded my head and we opened the door. And there lied Sokka gripping his knee.

"Sokka! What'd you do?" I ran to his side to examine his knee.

"I tripped and got my foot stuck on my dresser, somehow injuring my knee in the process!" He kept his eyes squinted shut and was grinding his teeth. I removed his hands and started examining his knee. And you could easily see that something was dislocated in his knee.

"Okay Sokka, I'm going to have to pop your bone back into place. It's going to hurt for a few seconds but then it'll feel a lot better than you do now, okay?" I looked at him with a very serious look. He looked at me and nodded.

"Suki, come over here and hold Sokka's hand. Zuko, go and grab me a wash cloth." Zuko nodded and went to grab one from the bathroom. Suki came over to Sokka's other side and was holding his hands. Zuko was back in a few seconds time. He handed me the wash cloth and I put it into Sokka's mouth, he bit down as hard as he could.

I positioned my hands on Sokka's knee so I could pop it back into place quick and easy. "Okay, on the count of three." I began, "One…" Sokka's grip on Suki's hands tightened. "Two…" He bit down even harder. "Three!" There was a loud popping sound and Sokka's eyes started watering from the pain. Soon he relaxed, and took the wash cloth out of his hand.

"Ugh. Thanks Katara." Sokka looked at me with a look that was in pain, but grateful at the same time.

"No problem. Do you need to go to a hospital?" I put my hand on his shoulder.

"No I think I can walk." Sokka said, getting up and attempting to take a step, only to collapse again. "Yeah, I think the hospital would be a good idea." He gave me that funny smile he always does when he is embarrassed.

"Okay. Zuko go get the car ready." He nodded at my command and turned to leave, only to be grabbed by Suki.

"No, I'll take him. You guys stay, you've been gone all day anyways. You need to relax." I was about to protest, but she gave me a smile that said everything will be OK. I nodded, and helped her get Sokka in an upright position.

"Let's get him to the car." I said. Zuko took ahold of Sokka and made me and Suki watch them, just to be sure he got downstairs easily. We got Sokka in the front seat of Suki's Toyota Camry, and she climbed in the driver's seat.

"We'll be back as quick as possible." Suki said out the window as they pulled out of the driveway. Zuko and I waved to them and went back inside.

"So now what?" Zuko asked me. I thought for a moment, wondering what we could do.

"Well, we didn't get to eat anything since we ran into Mai…and I got some new movies we could watch if you want?" I looked at him, listing our options.

"Food and movies sound good." He smiled at me.

"Okay well what do you want to eat? I could cook us something, or order us pizza." I walked over to the fridge and opened the doors.

"Hmm…pizza sounds good. I'll pay." Zuko walked into the living room and flopped on the couch.

"But you're my guest! I should pay!" I put my hands on my hips and glared at him.

"But I'm the man, it's my job to pay the bill!" He said matter-of-factly. I chuckled and he smirked.

"So what movies do you got here?" He looked around for anything that would show where movies were kept. I walked over to the TV stand and opened one of the side doors.

"Well we have Jennifer's Body, Twilight, New Moon, Leap Year, Avatar, The Crow, Home Alone 1 & 2, Coraline, Doubt, Grown Ups, Paranormal Activity, and Friday the Thirteenth. That's about all the good ones." I said, double-checking them to make sure that was all.

"Put in Friday the Thirteenth, I've wanted to see that." Zuko decided, I gulped and stuck the movie into the DVD player. While the opening credits started, I quickly dialed the delivery guy and ordered 2 pizzas…one pepperoni and one cheese.

"30 minutes for the pizza!" I told Zuko. He said okay and told me to come sit and watch the movie. I walked over and sat on the love seat next to the couch that he was lying on.

"Katara I don't bite." He said while chuckling. I blushed and looked away.

"I know that, but don't forget Zuko, we've only been friends for a day." I reminded him. His face grew sad. "But I guess I can sit over there…no funny business though!" I pointed a finger at him.

"Never!" He said, and patted a spot beside him. I got up and sat down with my legs propped up on the coffee table. The actual movie started, and at first it didn't seem too scary…but boy was I wrong. There was blood and knives and killing everywhere. And the sounds affects and everything were a little too real. I kept covering my eyes. I thought it had finally calmed down for a moment, so I uncovered my eyes. Only to see a person getting their throat slit. It was at that point I hid my head between the couch and Zuko's shoulder, covering my ears and squinting my eyes shut tightly.

"Katara? You okay?" Zuko looked at me, but I didn't respond. He turned his body so that I was lounging against his chest. All of a sudden everything grew quiet. I slowly opened my eyes and saw that the TV was off. I looked up at Zuko and he was looking at me with a worried expression. I then realized I was crying because I felt something tickling my cheek. _Why the hell are you crying Katara? It's just a movie! None of it is real! But it just seemed too real…_ I wiped away my tears and turned away from Zuko, sitting up in the process.

"I-I'm sorry…" I mumbled, my cheeks turning scarlet. I heard the doorbell ring and I stood up to get it, Zuko following me. I took the pizzas and he paid the delivery guy.

"Here let me get those." Zuko said, grabbing the pizzas from me before I could protest. He carried them to the bar in the kitchen and sat them down. I went to the cabinet and grabbed us some plates.

"You thirsty?" I asked him. He nodded yes and I grabbed us two cans of Pepsi from the fridge. I threw it at him and he caught it with one hand. We ate in silence for awhile, until we heard the door open and Sokka come hopping in one crutches.

"There better be food in here!" Sokka yelled. Suki walked in and shut the door.

"Haha glad to see you're okay, Sokka." Zuko said with a smile.

"Yepp! I'm great, except for the fact that I'm STARVING!" He grabbed his stomach and pouted at me. I just smirked and pointed to the pizza boxes. Suki walked over to us.

"So how bad was it?" I asked her.

"Not that bad. Doctor said it would've been worse if you hadn't popped the bone back into place." She smiled and patted my shoulder. She walked over to Sokka and hit him in the back of the head for hogging the food. I looked at my phone, it was 10:45 PM.

"Wow. Time flies by when you're having fun!" I looked at Zuko and made a goofy face, he started laughing.

"So what's the sleeping situation you guys?" I said loud enough for them all to hear.

"Well, Dad won't be home till late tomorrow night so I was hoping…" Sokka began. I just laughed and said "Yes Suki can sleep in your room, I won't tell." Sokka hopped over to me and gave me a bear hug.

"Guess that means you're sleeping in Katara's room, Zuko!" Suki said. I couldn't help but blush.

"Actually, I could just sleep on the couch…" Zuko began, but Suki was having none of that.

"No Zuko! You're sleeping in Katara's room! Her bed is plenty big enough for the both of you!" I punched Suki in the arm. "OW! What was that for?" She asked, glaring at me.

"I think Zuko should sleep wherever he feels most comfortable." Sokka said. I put my hand on my forehead.

"Well…I guess I could sleep in Katara's room as long as she is OK with it." He said, looking at me. _I can't just say no…I'll feel so bad! But you've only been friends for a day! Doesn't that seem a little rushed? Ahh just say YES Katara!_

"Okay. Zuko is sleeping in my room. Suki is in Sokka's." I stated, trying to hide the blush creeping on my face.

"Well then should we get ready for bed? I'm really tired after sitting at the hospital and getting X-rays." Sokka said.

"Yeah. You guys go ahead. I'm gonna clean up this mess." I said to them, including Zuko.

"Do you need any help?" Zuko offered. I simply shook my head "no" and smiled. And they all headed upstairs to get ready for bed.

"Ugh. This is going to take a bit." I said to myself, looking around the kitchen. I simply shrugged and started working on the dishes. I cleaned up the pizza and put the leftovers in the fridge, got rid of any trash and started the dishwasher. When I finally finished it was 11:57 PM. "Wow, that didn't take as long as I thought it would." I began locking the doors in the house and turning off the lights. I turned on the upstairs hall light and walked upstairs to the bathroom. I looked in the mirror at myself._ What happened to you? First you hate Zuko, now you go on a date. Now you're sleeping in the same bed as him!_ Was all that went through my mind. I just ignored the thoughts and brushed my teeth and combed through my hair. Grabbing my pajamas off the hook in the bathroom, I threw on the oversized T-shirt and shorts. Exiting the bathroom, I stood in front of my bedroom door. I slowly opened the door and walked inside.

**Well that's the end of this chapter! My fingers are extremely tired. And for those of you who may have forgotten, Zuko and Katara have only been "friends" for a day! Seems a little rushed huh? But no worries, all will fall into place soon enough. :] The next chapter will be Sunday AND Monday(school!), and we shall finally see Toph and Aang! :P Next chapter will be up in a couple days. Hopefully will be up by Friday night? Depends. :] This week is crazy for me. Anyhoo, Read and Review would be greatly appreciated!**

***DISCLAIMER* I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender or any of the episodes, characters, plots, etc. I only own my ideas and stories. Well I do believe this to be all. :]**

**Read on!**

**-taylorcatherine**


	7. Chapter 6: Physics Project

**Hey guys! So here is the new chapter! Here is a little surprise for you all; it's in ZUKO'S POV! :D Lol. Hope you guys will like it! Read and review (constructive criticism is more than welcome, just be nice!) would be great. So, on with the story then! PS Super sorry it's so late! My last few weeks have been hell. . Holidays I swear.**

I heard the doorknob open while I lay in Katara's bed. I turned around and saw her step inside.

"Oh crap did I wake you?" She asked as she closed the door.

"No, I haven't fallen asleep yet." I tell her. She nods and walks over to the other side of the bed.

"No offense Zuko, but keep your hands to yourself. Got it?" She said to me looking fairly serious.

"Yes mam!" I replied, nodding my head. She inhaled and climbed into bed, crawling under the covers.

"I mean it Zuko!" She said once more.

"So do I." I said, turning. Our backs were facing each other. It wasn't long before her breathing calmed, and she was asleep. _If only I could tell her how much I've always…what's the word I'm looking for? Admired maybe? Ugh!_ I shut my eyes and rid my mind of the thoughts of her.

By the time my eyes opened, the sun was shining through the bedroom window. I turned around to see Katara still fast asleep. I looked over her to see the alarm clock. It was 7:45 AM. I quietly got out of bed and made my way to the door. I opened the door and walked downstairs, I was the first one up…which didn't surprise me because I rise with the sun. All of a sudden, my stomach made a loud grumbling sound.

"I better get something to eat." I said to myself. So I headed for their kitchen and opened up the refrigerator doors. _Hmm…lots of fruit…milk…soda…orange juice…_

"Do you want something to eat?" I jumped and turned around to see Katara standing at the bottom of the stairs. I blushed and rubbed the back of my neck.

"Uhh, yeah. If you wouldn't mind." I said, looking down at the floor.

"No it's fine. What would you like?" She asked, walking over to the pantry. "Let's see here, we have bread, cereal, pancake mix, waffle mix. And in the fridge we have eggs, jelly, milk, orange juice." She turned towards me with a face that said "what's your decision?"

"Umm, eggs would be fine. Scrambled, please." I said and sat down at the bar. She nodded and got out the eggs and a pan. Before long the kitchen smelled delicious.

"I smell food!" Sokka said as he came into the kitchen.

"I'll make more." Katara chuckled and rolled her eyes. Sokka looked turned his head towards me.

"So, how did you sleep?" He winked and elbowed my arm. I glared at him.

"Fine, thanks for asking. How about you?" I said to him. He rubbed his neck.

"Oh…well…um…great!" He stuttered, and Katara and I got a good laugh out of it. Sokka blushed, and Katara sat plates in front of our faces.

"Dig in!" She said. "I'm going to go wake up Suki." Then she headed upstairs.

"So, what's with you two?" Sokka asked me with a mouth full of eggs. I rolled my eyes.

"Nothing. We're just friends." I said to him.

"Really? It doesn't seem like you are 'just friends.'" He made quotations with his fingers, and I glared at him again.

"Well believe it or not, we are. I mean, we've only been talking for a day." I stated. Sokka nodded his head saying he understood.

"Now tell me, what started this whole thing of you guys becoming friends?" I chuckled and said "the Laundromat." Sokka gave me a look that said "wtf?"

"It's a long story. See, my sister forced me to come with her just so she could see her stupid boyfriend Jet…he works at the Laundromat. And we walked in and I saw Katara sitting there with a book in her hands. To be honest with you Sokka, I've always liked Katara…I just never bothered to get to know her. What I mean is she's smart, kind, caring, honest, beautiful…just all around great, but for awhile I didn't even care she existed. Now all of a sudden I feel very protective of her, and I'm not entirely sure why. Anyways, I saw Katara there and she looked upset. She was unloading a washer and a bunch of clothes tumbled everywhere. I walked over to help her, and then walked away. After awhile, I walked back over to her and we started talking, and I asked her to go see a movie with me. At first she kept refusing, but then she just gave up and said yes." Sokka looked very intrigued for some odd reason.

"Morning guys!" Suki said as Katara followed her down the stairs. She immediately went over to Sokka and stole some of his food. Sokka's jaw dropped, and Suki just took a big bite and smiled at him. All of laughed, except for Sokka.

"Zuko are you done eating?" Katara asked me. I nodded, and she walked over to take my plate and fork.

"No. I can get it." I took the stuff and put it over in the sink, and she rolled her eyes.

"So," Suki began. "What's the plan for today?" We all looked at each other.

"Well I gotta get home in a bit and get ready for work." I stated, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Yeah, and I have a bunch of errands to run…" Katara said, obviously making up an excuse to get out of anything Suki had in mind.

"I'm not doing anything!" Sokka said with no hesitation.

"Well, it looks like it's just me and Sokka then. Well I have to run home first and get showered and whatnot. So I'll see you in a bit." Then Suki walked over to the door, waved, and headed out.

"I'm gonna get a shower. See you tomorrow Zuko." Sokka began walking upstairs. I waved at him and walked over to the door.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow in Physics huh?" Katara asked while walking me to the door.

"Yeah…you know, we should get together like this more often." I told her, my hand resting on the doorknob.

"Yeah! That would be fun." Katara smiled, which made my heart skip a beat. Then there was awkward silence.

"Well I guess I better get going." Katara nodded and took a step towards me and gave me a hug. My cheeks flushed. Before she could pull away, I kissed her on the cheek.

"Bye. See you tomorrow." I said with a smile as I opened the door and walked outside. Katara just waved and I saw her put her hand on her cheek. I walked over to my car and got the engine running, pulled out of the driveway, then headed home. _Home…that place is more like a prison! I can't wait until Uncle gets back from his trip. Then I'll ask him if I could possibly move in with him._ I grinned at the thought of living with my Uncle Iroh and having his tea all the time. Something made him love tea with a burning passion, but as to what it was I had no idea. I sighed as I pulled into the driveway of my house and got out of the car.

**BEEP BEEP BEEP!** I heard the alarm on my phone going off, which meant it was time to get up. _Ugh! School shouldn't be allowed to start this early!_ It was only 6:00 AM, which gave me an hour and a half to get ready. I walked downstairs through the living room to the kitchen.

"Morning Zuzu, how was your date?" Azula asked with her piercing amber eyes.

"Don't call me that. And it wasn't a date." I grunted.

"Oh really? Then what would you call it?" I didn't answer. "Exactly." She said with an evil smirk.

"Shut up." I mumbled, and she glared at me. I walked back upstairs and into my bathroom, starting the shower. I jumped in and let the hot water hit my face. I did the same thing I did every day; jumped out of the shower and through on a pair of dark jeans, a white V-neck tee, and my black and red hoodie.

By the time I had finished getting ready, it was 7:15 AM. _I better get going, thankfully Azula is riding with Jet, so I can just leave now._ I grabbed my back pack and headed downstairs. I grabbed my keys off the dry sink and headed outside. I started my car and pulled out of the driveway. 15 minutes passed and I reached the school. Climbing out of my car, I saw Katara and Sokka heading for the doors. Sokka looked like he was complaining about something and Katara was laughing. _God she is beautiful._ I chuckled to myself, when I heard somebody shout to me "Hey Zuko!"

I looked up and saw Katara waving at me. I smiled and waved back._ Physics should be fun today…_I laughed to myself, grabbed my pack, and headed for the doors.

The first three periods of the day went really slow. I couldn't wait when the third bell rang, which meant it was time for fourth period. I almost ran to class, just because Katara would be there. I walked inside and sat down, looking around for Katara. I spotted her walking through the door with a smile. She walked over to a seat beside me and motioned for her two friends in another area to come over.

"Toph, Aang; this is Zuko. Zuko this is Toph and Aang." She gestured towards each of them and me.

"Hi, nice to finally meet Katara's boyfriend!" Toph said with a big smile.

"Toph he is NOT my boyfriend! We are just friends." Katara blushed with an angry look on her face.

"Don't forget, Sugar Queen, I can tell whether or not if you're lying." Toph winked at Katara, who wanted to protest but didn't. Aang just rolled his eyes and took a seat beside me.

"Hi. So you're Zuko huh?" He asked. I just nodded. "Cool, so are you and Katara actually dating or not?" That question made me cringe. I quickly grabbed my notebook, wrote a note to him and gave it to him, making sure Katara wasn't paying attention.

_I like her, but she doesn't know. It's probably best to keep it that way for now. With the way my crazy ex-girlfriend is. You might know her. Her name is Mai. Anyways, she attacked Katara on Saturday when I took her out instead of Mai. Needless to say, Katara whooped her ass! _

Aang read the paper, pulled out his pencil and began writing. He then shoved the note back over to me.

_**I know what you mean by liking her and not wanting to tell her. But sooner or later, she's gonna find out. I'm not saying go do it right away. Give it time, but you do need to tell her.**_

For just meeting him, Aang gave pretty good advice. I looked at him and smiled, then the bell rang. The teacher walked in and began talking. After about ten minutes of blabbering about nothing, the teacher said something that made my ears perk up.

"Okay class, I'm assigning you a project. You all get to choose your partners…you'll get to work with them the rest of class…" that was the only part I paid attention to Mr. Rombert say. I looked over at Katara, and she looked at me; our looks saying the same thing. Toph and Aang were partners, and Katara and I were partners.

"So, what should the project be on?" She asked me.

"Hmm…how about Newton's Law of Gravity?" I suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Katara said with a shrug. Since we decided on the law of gravity for our topic, we needed a computer and books. Only problem was that Mr. Rombert had neither in his classroom, so we decided to go to the library after school.

We walked into the library and went over to the computer to search for some books. I pointed out a few that might help, and Katara wrote them down on a piece of paper. We then walked to the section with the books, and started searching.

"Here's one." She said, trying to reach the top shelf for the book. I just chuckled and walked over to her.

"Need some help with that?" I asked her. She nodded, but instead of grabbing the book myself, I grabbed her waist and lifted her up so she could grab it. She blushed whenever I sat her back down.

"You could have just grabbed it for me." She said with hands on her hips.

"I know." I smirked. She just blushed and walked away. We were in the library for about an hour before her phone started to vibrate.

"Hello? Oh, hi Dad. The library with Zuko. We're doing our Physics project. Now? What happened this time? Oh alright I'm on my way. Love you too…bye." She hung up.

"I gotta go." She said with a small frown.

"Let me drop you off." She nodded and we headed out the door. We climbed into my car and left the parking lot.

"So what did your Dad need?" I asked her when we hit a red light.

"Sokka…" She didn't even need to say more than her brother's name. I knew he had done something stupid to get himself injured again.

"Not surprised." I said with a chuckle. Katara smiled and sighed, looking out the window at the sky.

"Katara?" I said, glancing over at her.

"Hmm?" She looked at me and then back out the window.

"What happened to your Mother? You said on Saturday night that she was gone. What kind of gone do you mean?" The light changed back to green, and I pressed my foot on the gas pedal. Katara looked down at her lap in sadness.

"It's a long story. She died a few years ago when I was 9." She said with a face full of hurt and loneliness. "I'll tell you more about it when I'm ready to, okay?" I couldn't blame her for not telling me right away. It's only been a few days since we became friends.

"It's a promise." I said with a smile as we pulled into her driveway. Katara got out of the car, waved goodbye, and walked inside. I pulled out and headed home.

**Well that's the end of this chapter. :D Finally! Took me long enough, didn't it? Sorry it took me like two weeks to do this, with the Holidays and everything, things have been nuts . And I feel bad I've been denying you guys! I promise to have the next chapter up tomorrow some time, it won't be too long, but not too short either. I pinky promise no more denying you guys chapters. :] So please review. That would make my day! Also, when you review, let me know what you think of Zuko's POV. If you like it and want me to continue including Zuko's POV in parts of the story, then I will. If not, then I'll stop. :D**


	8. Chapter 7: Perfect Dress

**Hello dear readers! So next chapter is below-just one quick thing I need to make clear. The last chapter I had a reviewer begging me not to stop the story, and I wasn't entirely sure what they meant. So I went to the chapter, and at the bottom where I said I'll stop; I meant the Zuko's POV! :P Trust me I'm NOT gonna stop this story! :] So on with chapter 7!**

I woke up at 6:00 AM for school. It was December 20th, two days before Christmas Vacation…and the Winter Masquerade. Zuko and I have been friends now for over a month and a half. It's shocking how fast the time flies by. For some reason, I kept hearing a weird beep…then I realized what it was. I groaned, sat up, and hit the 'OFF' button on my alarm clock. I stood up and stretched, heading for my door. For some reason I wasn't hungry this morning, so I decided to skip breakfast and head straight for the shower. I turned the water on hot, and climbed in._ Ah…this feels great. School has been so stressful lately. Thankfully it's almost Christmas break._ When I finished getting cleaned up, I climbed out of the shower and wrapped myself up in my towel; walking to my bedroom.

_Hmm…what should I wear? Oh this will look nice!_ I pulled out my long-sleeved white shirt, dark brown cardigan, and navy blue jeans. I threw on the outfit, and found it very suitable. Walking over to my vanity, I grabbed my brush and start combing my hair. I decide on a half up-half down look would do. Checking my phone, it was 7:00 AM, and Zuko had texted me a few minutes ago.

Hey I'm leaving now, be there in a few :)

_Okay see you then :]_

Oh, I forgot to mention-Zuko has started picking me up in the morning for school! We've become really good friends, I even met his Uncle Iroh! Iroh is so nice! And he makes a great cup of tea. According to Zuko, he wants to move in with his uncle and get away from his sister and father. Zuko hasn't really told me much about his father, and I'm not sure why…but I don't feel that it's my place to ask.

**HONK HONK!** Zuko was here. I looked out my window and saw his Mustang parked in the driveway, with him walking towards our door. I grabbed my backpack and my coat, running downstairs. Sokka beat me to the door though.

"Zuko! Good to see ya!" Sokka said, putting his hand out for Zuko to shake.

"Good to see you too Sokka. Been awhile, hasn't it?" Zuko replied with a smile. Sokka nodded and turned around.

"Morning Katara! Your chariot awaits!" Sokka gestured towards the door with an "after you" sort of theme. I rolled my eyes and walked to the door.

"Hey!" I said to Zuko with a smile.

"Hey there, you ready to go?" He smiled, his face very gentle.

"Ready as I'll ever be! Bye Sokka! I'll see you at school!" I waved to him and headed outside. We walked over to Zuko's car and climbed in.

"And don't worry, I don't have the heat too high today!" Zuko smiled and I punched him in the arm.

"Hey now! No violence with the driver!" I rolled my eyes and we both laughed.

"So sorry officer! Please don't arrest me!" Zuko broke out into a fit of laughter. I smiled, Zuko has such a silly laugh. All of a sudden he grew very quiet.

"You okay?" I asked. Zuko sighed.

"I guess, just thinking." I gave him a confused look.

"About?" I crossed my arms, pretty much saying he had no choice but to tell me.

"Well, I wanted to ask you something…" My arms dropped and he continued. "Katara, will you go to the Winter Masquerade with me?" Now my jaw dropped, and Zuko's face was flushed.

"Me? Go to the Winter Masquerade with you?" Zuko's face just got even redder.

"See I knew it was a stup-" I cut him off.

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" I looked at him with a big smile on my face, and Zuko's face lit up.

"Really? Great! I'm sorry it's so last minute though!" He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Nah that's okay. I'll have Toph and Suki go dress shopping with me tonight." Suki had a great fashion sense, and even though Toph was blind, she knew when people had their eyes on her for good reasons; so I was forcing her into whether she wanted to go or not.

"Great!" Zuko had a big smile, and I smiled back. We finally reached the school, and I couldn't wait for the day to end.

~O.O~O.O~

When I saw Suki and Toph at lunch, I told them what our plan was going to be. Suki was in immediately, Toph took a little bribing…but we talked her into eventually. When the final bell rang meaning the day was over; Suki, Toph, and I piled into Suki's Camry.

"So to the mall then I'm guessing? Suki asked. I smiled and nodded, Toph just groaned.

"Let's just get this over with!" Suki and I rolled our eyes. The mall was about a 25 minute drive from the school, so we jammed out to the radio. We were having a great time, until THAT song came on..again. My eyes widened._ Are you freaking kidding me? That song is following me everywhere I go!_

"Suki I'm changing the station." I told her, no question about it.

"Why? What's wrong with this song?" She asked me. I looked at her.

"My Mom…" that was all I needed to say before Suki reached over and switched the station.

"Sorry Katara, I didn't know that was the song." She looked really sad, I gave her a weak smile saying it's not her fault.

"Katara, what's the name of that song you don't like? I'm just curious." Toph asked from the backseat.

"It's called Your Guardian Angel by the Red Jumpsuit Apparratus." I said quietly.

"Oh…Sorry Katara." Toph put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, it isn't you guy's faults that she's gone." I said with a weak smile.

"Hey we're here!" Suki said as we reached the entrance to the mall parking lot. I smiled and said "Let's do this."

We climbed out of the car and started walking towards the entrance.

"Toph you excited to try on some pretty, sparkly, glittery, dazzling, girly-" Toph cut Suki off mid statement.

"Do you wanna live to see Sokka another day?" Suki nodded. "Then zip it." I held back a lot of laughter. We walked inside and started heading for the store that sold all of the gorgeous ballgowns.

"Oh Katara look at this! It's so pretty!" Suki ran to a purple gown that was strapless with a sweetheart neckline. It had beading coating the top and slowly lessening near the bottom. It was a trumpet-styled dress that just flowed perfectly. Suki would be stunning.

"Suki that is gorgeous! Go try that on right now! I'm going to help Toph find something!" Toph made a sound of disgust, and I just rolled my eyes.

"Alrighty Toph! Let's find you a dress. First off what is your favorite color?" That was a stupid question.

"Seriously Katara? I can't even see. You expect me to know my favorite color?" Toph hit her forehead.

"True. Well green looks perfect on you, so we're going to find something green!" I grabbed her hand and started rummaging through the racks of gowns.

"Aha! This one will be perfect!" I pulled the dress off the rack and held it up to Toph. The dress was just barely floor-length, so she wouldn't be tripping all over it. It was a perfect shade of mint green, with a black sash around the waist and a bow in the back. This dress puffed out just a little. The best part of it was that it wasn't too girly for Toph. As a matter of fact, the dress screamed her name.

"C'mon Toph! We're going to get you to the dressing room!" I held the dress in one hand and drug Toph with the other. Shoving her into a room with the dress, I closed the door and headed back for the racks.

"Hmm, now what will look best on me?" I looked around at all the dresses and I couldn't seem to find anything that would suit me.

"Katara! Come check us out!" I heard Suki yell, so I headed over to the dressing rooms. My jaw dropped when I saw them. The dresses fit like gloves.

"Oh you guys look PERFECT! Toph, Aang is going to go nuts over you in that!" Toph blushed and Suki giggled.

"Katara, why aren't wearing a dress yet?" Suki put her hands on her hips. I just shrugged.

"I haven't found anything that will look decent on me." Suki rolled her eyes.

"Toph hurry up and change, we've got a mission!" Suki said with a determined look on her face.

After they had changed back into their regular clothes, we ran around the store looking for something for me. We had no luck for awhile. Of all the people to find something good, it was Toph who found the perfect dress.

"Umm hey Katara?" Toph said.

"Yeah? What is it?" I asked her, not turning my head.

'What about this dress? The fabric feels…soft?" I rolled my eyes and turned around. The dress she had her hand on made me want to scream. It was perfect! Every last detail was amazing!

"SUKI! Get over here now!" I shouted. Suki came running over, and she screeched.

"Katara that's the one! That HAS to be the one!" She clapped her hands. The dress was so perfect, I'm not sure how to even begin describing it. It was one shouldered A-line dress. The color was this gorgeous deep red. Like I said, it only covered one shoulder. It had a thick black sash around the part where my ribs would be. And under the black sash a bunch of black little flowers were sewed on everywhere, plus a bunch of sequins. This dress was stunning.

"Go try that on right now!" Suki pulled it off the rack and shoved me towards the dress room. I went inside and locked the door, hanging the dress on a hook. _This dress is so perfect!_ I stepped into the dress very carefully, so nothing went out of place. I zipped it up and looked in the mirror. I was in shock.

"Okay you guys, I'm coming out." I unlocked the door and stepped out of the room. Suki screeched again, Toph plugged her ears the punched Suki in the arm. She just glared at the little blind girl, then looked at me and smiled.

"Katara that is so perfect! If you don't buy this dress I'm never going to speak to you again!" We all laughed. I looked at the price tag. The dress was on sale! The regular price was almost $150, but it was on special for the holidays for only $100!

"Suki it's on sale! I have to buy it!" I ran back to the dressing room and took off the dress. I came out and we all headed towards the check out.

"Hi there, did you guys find everything okay?" The cashier asked us. We all nodded.

"Oh yes, we found everything we needed!" I said with a smile, looking back at Suki and Toph.

_The Winter Masquerade is going to amazing…I just know it._

**Woohoo another chapter finished! This chapter wasn't even supposed to be this long :P But I got really into it I guess! Haha! :] So I hope you all loved this chapter as much as I did! I found this one to be very fun for some reason. The dress designs are just something I made up in my head. I'm pretty sure you won't find a design like that somewhere. Lol!**

**Well you guys I'm probably not going to have another chapter up til after Christmas so y'all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS/HAPPY HOLIDAY/ FELIZ NAVIDAD/HAPPY HANUKKAH/ EVERY OTHER HOLIDAY I CAN'T THINK OF! :D See you soon!**

***DISCLAIMER* I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any of the characters, episodes, etc. I only own my ideas for this story and the computer I type them on.**


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